worm

Facebook fights new Koobface worm, another rogue app

Like flies to cow dung, rogue apps are swarming to Facebook.

The popular social-networking site has been hit by what's believed to be the fourth rogue app in a week or so and is investigating the spread of a new variant of the Koobface worm, according to security firm Trend Micro.

The Koobface worm spreads via a message from a Facebook friend that includes a link to what looks like a video, Rik Ferguson wrote on the Trend Micro blog.

The landing page displays the name and photo of the friend. Clicking the "install" button redirects to … Read more

New variant of Conficker worm circulates

A new variant of the Conficker Internet worm is circulating that opens up a backdoor that could allow an attacker to distribute malware to infected machines, the US-CERT organization warned on Monday.

The new Conficker/Downadup worm, dubbed "Conficker B++," uses a new backdoor with "auto-update" functionality, CERT said in an advisory.

Microsoft says there is no indication that systems infected with previous variants of Conficker can automatically be re-infected with the new variant, CERT said.

Previous versions of Conficker took action to prevent further exploitation of the vulnerability, Microsoft said in an advisory of its own. … Read more

Microsoft offers $250,000 reward for Conficker arrest

Correction, 1:08 p.m. PST: This story initially misstated the amount of the reward. It is $250,000.

Microsoft on Thursday said it is offering a $250,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for creating the Conficker Internet worm that has infected millions of PCs.

Microsoft said it is offering the reward because the worm constitutes a "criminal attack" and offering compensation should hasten prosecution. Residents of any country are eligible for the reward and should contact their international law enforcement authorities, the company said in a statement. … Read more

'Obama worm' probably a student prank, experts say

A new Internet worm that displays an image of President Obama is likely a prank by a student, several security experts speculated on Thursday.

Walling Data, a distributor of AVG security software, said the worm it discovered on computers at an Illinois grade school spreads via external devices like USB drives and network shares. Once a week, on Mondays, it displays a photo of President Obama's face in the lower right corner of screens on infected computers, but otherwise appears to be more of a nuisance than a threat.

The worm looks like a variant of MAL_OTORUN code that … Read more

Conficker spreads as Waledec delivers mal-entine

Security experts are tracking two computer worms that have infected millions of PCs and are creating botnets that can be awakened at any time.

More than 9 million computers have already been infected with the Conficker, or Downadup, worm that spreads via a hole on unpatched Windows machines (Microsoft issued an emergency patch to plug the hole in October), by USB devices and other removable storage devices, and can use a built-in password cracker to guess weak network passwords.

Infected machines send an alert back to a host machine, providing location and other information about the infected machine, and attempt … Read more

Ready, aim, iFire!

iShoot Lite is a free, turn-based artillery game in which two to four tanks--controlled by human players or computer AIs--duke it out with a variety of destructive weapons. As with similar games, your accuracy is determined by the angle and power of each shot (which you determine with easy touchscreen controls), but iShoot Lite adds a couple of interesting twists: the terrain is constantly getting destroyed, changing the positions of the battling tanks, and each round you can buy and sell different weapons with different effects, everything from Mega Mortars to Stinger Missiles and Tactical Nukes.

Unfortunately, in this free … Read more

Expert: Worm spreading in many ways becoming an epidemic

A worm that spreads via removable devices, network shares, and weak administrator passwords--in addition to exploiting a critical Windows vulnerability--is spreading so fast it is becoming an epidemic, a security researcher said on Thursday.

The worm, known as Kido, Conficker, or Downadup, initially exploited MS08-067, a vulnerability considered critical for Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003. It was patched in October.

Newer variants have been configured to give the worm the ability to infect via other means to get onto the network, said Roel Schouwenberg, a senior antivirus researcher at Kaspersky Lab.

"The Kido authors are trying to get … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 890: Mad Molly Mondays

Yahoo's got a new chief, AT&T is spamming Idol fans and non-Idol fans alike, and the Storm Worm has been cracked. That's all big news, but the biggest news comes from me at the end of the show. Be sure to listen all the way through. Listen now: Download today's podcast Episode 890

Yahoo names new chief executive http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7827518.stm http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10142085-92.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10142275-93.html http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-yahoo-react-bartzs-selection-considered-safe-uninspiring/

AT&T spams 75 million users with ‘Idol’ … Read more

Worm uses familiar brands to lure people

On Tuesday security vendor WebSense issued an alert warning that holiday coupon e-mails from familiar companies may be malicious code in disguise, in this case a mass-mailing e-mail worm.

The warning cites one spoofed McDonald's e-mail that claims to present their latest discount menu, and asks the recipient to print out the attached coupon. A similar mailing pretending to be from Coca-Cola asks recipients to print out details about their new online game, and also offers recipients a chance to win Coca-Cola drinks for life. Websense says the attached zip file contains files named either coupon.exe or promotion.… Read more